Sports

Walking the corridor at the Leduc Recreation Centre the afternoon of April 10 provided one with the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the best hockey players to ever suit up in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Jamie Macoun of Calgary Flames fame was seen standing in a corner of the lobby, talking to someone on his cell phone.

Val Marie, Saskatchewan's Bryan Trottier, who won four Stanley Cups with the New York Islanders in the early '80s, and two more with the Pittsburgh Penguins, was mobbed by fans looking for an autograph.

The former NHL greats were in Leduc to take part in a Pro-Am fundraising event in support of the Gordie and Colleen Howe Fund for Alzheimer's.

The Pro-Am was an excellent venue for everyday hockey enthusiasts to team up with former NHL players to battle against Alzheimer's and support of the Gordie and Colleen Howe Fund.

There was a Wetaskiwin connection. The Greenheads, a team of 15 local players who, much to their surprise, did not find themselves being hounded by autograph seekers, had former Detroit Red Wing tough guy Dennis Polonich skate with them through the two-day tournament.

"It's been a lot of fun. The draft Friday night was huge," said team spokesman Don Elliot. "It was mostly just the guys in the tournament who raised money to get into the tournament. Jamie Macoun was a blast. He's like an old farmer. He was fun."

Twenty-five teams took part in the tournament. At the Friday draft, teams chose NHL players in order of how much money they raised for Alzheimer's.

McSorley went first overall," said Elliot. We drafted 12th. We raised right around $39,000.

"Our team would like to thank the community. We're a population of 12,000 and we raised $39,000. The teams we were up against had guys writing cheques for $10 thousand. Our highest sponsor gave us a thousand dollars. The people in town were awesome. Nobody said no to most of us."

The Greenheads focused on small donations, hitting up family, friends and Wetaskiwin businesses to help the fight against Alzheimer's disease and related dementias - degenerative, fatal diseases that destroy brain cells.

"The cause is great. One of the guys lost his father-in-law to Alzheimer's a year ago. A couple of the guys played in it last year and said it was a good time," responded Elliot when asked why the Greenheads got involved. "Raising money makes you feel good. It was a good time, and it was fun to wind up the year with a good tournament."

According to 2010 statistics, more than 500,000 Canadians live with dementia, including about one in 11 Canadians over 65 years of age.

Visit: scotiabankproam.com/Edmonton to learn more about the Gordie and Colleen Howe Fund.